Starbucks adds digital tipping to iPhone app

An exterior view of a Starbucks, on December 27, 2012 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Starbucks customers will soon be able to use their iPhones to do more than just pay for their morning latte.

An upcoming update to the coffee chain's app will allow users to tip their baristas from within the app. Customers can currently pay for their drinks through the app but have to use cash if they want to leave a tip.

The update, which will roll out to users in the U.S., UK and Canada on March 19, will let customers add tips of $0.50, $1 or $2 to their orders.

“This update to the Starbucks app for iPhone is an important next step in digital innovation at Starbucks and one of the many ways we'll expand and improve our digital experience in the months to come,” said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer for Starbucks in a statement.

The upcoming version of the app will also include a “shake to pay” feature, which will enable customers to bring up the barcode of their Starbucks card by shaking their phone. The app will also get other improvements like a more user-friendly design with easier access to account and rewards information.

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The company said it would be rolling out a major update to its Android app, which will include digital tipping, “later this year.”

Starbucks says more than 11% of in-store transactions are made with mobile devices, though the company did not say how many of these were made via the Starbucks app. The coffee chain also accepts mobile payments via Passbook and Square Wallet.